It’s always nice to find some research that backs up what we find useful in clinic. Anyone who has taken a FMT course will be familiar with the Spiral squat chain taping that we teach. This study by Song et al examines the effect of a very similar taping (basically it’s the top half of the application hip-knee) on female patients with patello-femoral pain (and a control group without pain) during a single leg squat movement. The study compared 2 taping techniques, one group with no stretch on tape and the leg in neutral posture. The second group had taping with ‘moderate stretch’ on tape with the leg in an externally rotated position. The first group is a little like our symptom reduction taping and the second group is pretty much exactly how we would tape as a dynamic postural taping. They found that in the PFP group both taping applications where effective in reducing pain on squats, but only the second taping application was effective in altering the pattern of movement and muscle contraction seen during the squat. The take home message here is if all you want to achieve is pain reduction, apply tape with little to no stretch. More stretch won’t create more relief. On the other hand if you want to use tape to alter posture and movement patterns it might be a good idea to consider apply tape in the corrected position and using a little more tape stretch, however if you do this you are inevitably upping the risk of skin reaction so avoid tape stretch over delicate areas and go gentle on...

I ordered some online from Rocktape and bought a second roll in a shop to see if there was any difference between the two. When training for my 10k last summer I started getting shin splints to the point I could barely walk some days. Not knowing what the pain was, I tried to run through it and think I made it ten times worse. Since then I’ve spent months avoiding running until recently, I’m now trying to train for my two 10k events this summer. Knowing I was going to end up facing the same pain again, due to the way that I run; I’ve looked into everything that can help shin splints. This is when I came across Kinesiology Tape (or KT Tape). I’ve now completed three runs using the KT tape on my shins and I can happily say that so far, so good. I’ve experienced absolutely no pain in my shins, I’ve made sure to stretch after each run, trying to stretch my shins out more than I usually do too, and it’s making training much more bearable. As I’m no professional in physio or taping, I went online and found some videos to show me how to tape for shin splints. I used this video here and I will be sticking with this method in order to hopefully keep the pain away. There’s loads of great videos on this website demonstrating ways to tape for different injuries. Kinesiology tape is being used more and more by professional athletes and I saw probably 2/3 runners with it on at the London Marathon a few weeks ago so it...

There’s nothing worse than not performing your best due to ripped callouses. Whether it’s a regular day at the box or a competition, here’s a simple yet effective way to protect your hands. 1. Measure and cut a strip that runs from the back of your hand to the bottom of your wrist. Remember that the tape is pre-stretched so cut it a bit shorter. Cut a smaller strip that will be wrapped around your wrist. 2. Cut 2 oval or diamond shaped holes about an inch or two from the end of the longer strip. 3. Apply the longer strip as seen in the photo, putting the ring finger and middle finger through the holes. Keep your hand, fingers and wrist spread out and apply the tape flat with no stretch or creases until it ends by your wrist. It is important to have clean dry hands for the tape to stick properly. 4. Apply the last strip with little or no stretch around your wrist so that it covers the previous...

A lot of folks involved in kinesiology taping will tell you that tape should only be applied by a super-special, highly trained, jedi tape ninja. (Actual title may vary). They will discourage athletes and members of the public from even attempting to self-tape. They will probably also tell you that only therapists trained in their education system and accredited by their official sounding, but sort of made up, association should tape you up. I don’t really agree with any of that, bear in mind I am a physiotherapist, tape instructor, and tape company medical director!! I think that in many situations, many people can and should consider self-taping. There are some caveats and exceptions that I will mention. First and most important; if you have a pain that is any of the following you should see e a experienced, competent therapist/medic. You have a pain you rate as strong or severe (on a scale of 0-10: 6 or above) You have a pain which doesn’t stop or become mild (under 3/10) in any position You have a pain which is worsening despite resting it. Self-taping is best suited to those little niggles, aches and pains. The ones that don’t exactly stop you in your tracks, but none-the-less, stop you moving freely, playing your sport, standing at work. If you are anything like me, and 95% of the world, you know the kind of niggles I mean. Now before you grab a roll of ROCKTAPE and get sticking, there are a few things you need to know to ensure you get a safe, effective, lasting application. THE GOLDEN RULES ROUND...

` ` We had a great time at http://www.therapyexpo.co.uk a couple of weeks ago. Therapy expo2013 was one the UKs biggest trade shows for therapy professionals ever held. It was an excellent opportunity to show off Rocktape to the world, catch up with some old friends and make some new ones. We would thoroughly recommend any therapists, students etc get there for next year. Here are a couple of little vid clips of the event. Thanks to the guys from www.fisherstudios.co.uk for producing these...

We’ll be exhibiting at Therapy Expo, on the 13th &amp; 14th September 2013 at Manchester Central, a dedicated trade event for physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, sports therapists, massage therapists, occupational therapists and clinic managers. Joining us on the stand will be three of our elite ‘ROCK Stars’, all of whom are also qualified ‘ROCK Docs’. British number one ski-cross athlete Emily Sarsfield and mixed martial arts competitor Rosi Sexton will be with us on Friday 13th September, with GB triathlete Seb Navarro due to attend on Saturday 14th September. Emily, who is due to compete in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Russia, had to miss the last Winter Olympics in 2010 after rupturing her Anterior Cruiciate Ligament (ACL). Her post-surgery rehab involved the Rocktape medical team and their taping strategies, which also led to her becoming one of Rocktape’s team of ‘ROCK Stars’. Emily will be on hand on the Friday afternoon to speak with delegates about any taping or ski-related matters. Also with us on the Friday will be Rosi Sexton, the mixed martial arts competitor who competed in her first fight for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) back in June. In addition to her ring success, Rosi is also a trained osteopath who uses taping to assist her and her clients’ performances. Rosi will be on the stand all day answering questions about her career thus far, signing autographs and talking about her experiences with Rocktape. Long-course triathlete Seb Navarro, who is also a personal trainer, will be in attendance on the Expo’s second day, demonstrating both triathlon and cycling-specific tape applications. Seb speaks highly of how Rocktape...